{"id":4003,"date":"2015-06-10T06:35:47","date_gmt":"2015-06-10T11:35:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.manufacturedhomepronews.com\/cuttingedgemarketingsales\/?p=4003"},"modified":"2015-06-10T06:35:57","modified_gmt":"2015-06-10T11:35:57","slug":"moving-the-ball-down-the-field-for-manufactured-housing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.manufacturedhomepronews.com\/cuttingedgemarketingsales\/moving-the-ball-down-the-field-for-manufactured-housing\/","title":{"rendered":"Moving-the-Ball Down-the-Field for Manufactured Housing"},"content":{"rendered":"

Okay, it isn’t football season (yet…the pre-season is not far off…). Rather than talk about presidential politics, the economy, what it means to you that more people are moving to the countr<\/a>y or a plethora of possible topics, we’ll talk about the wisdom of growing manufactured housing. Specifically, how your firm can sustainably expand your marketing reach and profit during these still challenging times, while others grow too. \u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Let’s look at moving the ball down the field for manufactured housing at your location, market(s) and state(s).<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Check out the video that this photo is tied to, at this link her<\/a>e. To see the video tour of this home, check out the video interview with high flying retailer Alan Amy, at this link here<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Just Imagine…<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

You are in a meeting room. The speaker asks a group of industry pros this question. Have you ever had the experience of walking someone \u2013 not necessarily a home shopper \u2013 enter the living room and kitchen of a nicely decorated modern manufactured home (MH) for the first time?<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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How many of you have had that person ‘new’ to today’s MH say words to the effect, \u201cI didn’t know that manufactured homes could be so nice!\u201d<\/b><\/i><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

If you’ve been in the industry a while, as I have, odds are good you had that gratifying experience a number of times. When I ask rooms with MHPros that question, almost every hand shoots up.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

What does that tell us? Simple. Getting people to see, touch and experience MH is a key step to advancing our industry’s causes, including the cause of selling more homes to future happy home owners.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The Canceled Sale<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Let’s ask the reverse question. Do you – or someone you know – on the front lines of MH sales that have experienced a would-be home buyer, who has applied and been approved, only to cancel the sale shortly after the approval? <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

If you’ve been in the industry even a few months and are or know those in front line MH sales, you know that experience too. The reasons they cancel? It often amounts to stigma, stereotypes or dated (or flat wrong) information, that might have been true 38+ years ago, but is no longer valid today. But the fact that someone got them to change their minds \u2013 ‘My mom (dad, fiance, boy friend, girl friend, co-worker, cousin, or _____________ fill in the blank<\/u>) told me that I should get a regular house<\/em>, because (_____________fill in the blank on maybe once applicable MH stereotypes).’<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Happy Birthday, HUD Code Manufactured Housing!<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

We are fast approaching the 39th<\/sup> birthday of the HUD Code for manufactured housing taking effect, which occurred on June 15, 1976. How will YOU celebrate that date? What will your association, or company do to celebrate or mark that occasion?<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Let’s suggest that manufactured housing must grow again to be more than a boutique or niche industry. Among the reasons home lenders aren’t coming into MH, is that we are too small to attract their attention. If we were 3 times our roughly 65,000 annual new home shipments size and growing, you’d see lenders starting to sit up, take notice and jump in lending on our homes.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The answer to:<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n